The present invention is directed to integrated circuits.
A Serializer/Deserializer (“SerDes”) is a pair of functional blocks commonly used in high speed communications to compensate for limited input/output. These blocks convert data between serial data and parallel interfaces in each direction. The term “SerDes” generically refers to interfaces used in various technologies and applications. Typically, a SerDes device has a loopback function, which useful for error checking and debugging, among other things. There have been conventional techniques and systems for providing loopback functions.
Unfortunately, existing loopback techniques in SerDes have been inadequate. It is therefore desirable to have new and improved systems and techniques for loopback in SerDes, as described below.